'Looks like America': DNC's virtual roll call, the first of its kind, widely lauded online
Savannah BehrmannWASHINGTON – For the first time in history, the roll call for delegates at a party's presidential convention was made virtually.
And despite the unconventional way votes were counted Tuesday night, the roll call at the Democratic National Convention was widely applauded online as a breath of fresh air compared with years past, with viewers calling it more entertaining and a better reflection of the states.
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The convention had been set for Milwaukee but was moved to a virtual format amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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The roll call became an event page on Twitter under the headline: "People want this year's DNC roll call format to be the way of the future."
Some Twitter users appreciated how the "Roll Call Across America" allowed viewers to see a glimpse of the entire country – a theme the convention is riding on under "Uniting America" – like a virtual trip to America’s 57 states and territories.
Nominators were stationed in front of prominent places in their respective states.
In Alabama, Congresswoman Terri Sewell stood in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where the late Rep. John Lewis was infamously beaten while he was marching across it on a day that became known as Bloody Sunday.
Kasie Hunt, a Capitol Hill correspondent for NBC, tweeted: "They should keep this roll call! It’s like the Olympic parade of nations which I so missed this year."
Tony West, former associate attorney general of the United States, said that despite attending seven Democratic National Conventions and being a delegate at four, Tuesday's virtual roll call was by far "the best and most entertaining roll call vote for nominating a president that I’ve ever seen."
For Wyoming, the parents of hate crime victim Matthew Shepard presented the roll call vote.
"My takeaway from me crying at the states roll call right now is that normal working class community leaders, workers, and activists are such better spokespeople for the pain we feel and the better world we want than the vast majority of elected officials and party people," Helen Brosnan of Justice Democrats posted.
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"The Democratic roll call looks like America," historian Michael Beschloss tweeted.
Others appreciated how quick the roll call was, because it was not interrupted by applause or commercials. Former Iowa Democratic party executive director Norm Sterzenbach tweeted, "I will miss the parties but I don't think we should ever do an in person convention ever again. The Roll Call is so much better. And people stick to their time limits."
Here's some more of what people had to say: